Who I Am
by HarmonyTRE
Summary: James has had to keep a deep secret from his best friends for years now. It's always been easy to hide . . . until now. Can he survive a week in a town where they celebrate the same thing he's trying to hide? Will he keep Jessie from stealing the special townspeople at night? Will he stop blushing during the romantic day events? Read to find out!
1. Day One: The Feast

Jessie, Meowth and I walk through the forest groaning. "So hungry." Jessie whines.

"Hey look," I say, finding a sign along the path we never followed. It said, _Misty Oaks: half mile._

"There must be a town," Meowth says.

"That means food!" I exclaim and smile at Jess.

"Let's go!" Meowth takes off and we rush after him. We slow as we reach the town, astounded by the sight of a glowing city instead. We walk past staring up at the colorful advertisements and decorations. I start to get a little uneasy at what they display.

"Were-week?" Meowth wonders.

Jessie walks up to a little girl in an orange and blue dress with blond hair. "Hey kid, what's Were-week?"

"You don't know?! Right, you must not be from around here . . ." The girl bounces in her pink shoes, her big blue eyes sparkling. "Were-week is when select people turn into Pokemon! It's only the during the night and just for this week."

My stomach drops when Jessie continues asking questions. "People turning into Pokemon?"

"Yeah, every year they turn into different Pokemon and we get to play with them. We put out banquets every day for anyone to eat, especially the Were-Pokemon. Some people are born into it, but most people here became Were-Pokemon by another way. No one will tell me until I'm older though . . . I want to see what I become." As the girl starts pouting, Jessie pulls me and Meowth aside.

"Did you hear that? She says they turn into Pokemon, ripe for the picking."

"Not ta mention a banquet!" Meowth grins.

I hide my deep frown by suggesting, "Why don't we find out where that is first?"

Jessie stomach growls. "Right." she turns around and says, "Hey girl, where's the food?"

"Oh, it's at the town square, I'll take you the-"

"Sally," a woman calls, "it's time for lunch."

"Sorry, I have to go. Feel free to eat as much as you like! We save food every-"

"Sally!"

"Coming! Bye." Sally waves and runs off to her house.

"Strange girl," Jessie mumbles, then perks up at the prospect of food.

We hurry to the town square, uh, try to. We kind of get lost. Then, Meowth follows the signs we ignored and we arrive at our destination. Long, white-clothed tables decorate the green park. But that's not what grabs our attention. Platters upon platters of food are set up in rows. Dinners, breakfasts, lunches, appetizers, desserts, you name it, it is there. I'm about to grab a handful of burgers when I hear a shout.

"Hey!" The shout says. I turn to see a teen boy with fluffy brown hair, black glasses and brown eyes. He wears a blue shirt and green trousers. He crosses his arms and stares at us.

"Uh . . ." Jessie says.

The boy continues to stare at us intently. Suddenly, he exclaims, "EAT ALL YOU WANT!" He bursts into laughter at our surprised faces. "I love messing with newcomers like that. We set out the food for anyone to eat all week. My name's Manso. I'm a Were-poke, and not a shy one at that. Hey, what's your names and what brought you here?"

I blink a few times and say, "Uh, I'm James and this is Jessie and Meowth."

"What's wit' ya?" Meowth says.

"Woah!" Manso bends over Meowth excitedly. "You can talk? Does that mean you're a Were-poke too, or are you a reverse one? I've never seen a Pokemon talk without Telepathy or extreme intelligence. Hey, are you as smart as a Slowking?"

Meowth backs up and hides behind my leg. "Settle down, kid. I just learned to talk."

"Well, that means you're smart doesn't it?" He smiles and Meowth shrugs. "Anyway, feel free to eat anything you want. It's free to the public." Manso waves and heads over to another group of kids.

"Dis town is a little too hyper for my tastes," Meowth says.

"You can't base an entire city on two people," I say, then shove some cheeseburgers in my mouth.

"Just enjoy it while you can," Jessie says, then chomping on some chips. "Bwesides, wue shold spay ba weke!" She spits crumbs everywhere.

"Uh, come again?" I think I understood her correctly, but I don't want it to be true, even if it means free food . . .

Jessie takes a gulp of lemonade, then says, "I said, we should stay the week. I mean there's free food! And you-know-what . . ." She whispers the last sentence.

I frown. "Don't you think that's a little, I don't know, weird?"

"What do you mean?"

"If these really are people, wouldn't it be strange to," I lean in closer, "steal them?"

"Hm, I'm not sure. What do you think?"

I shrug, trying to hide my real thoughts. "Meowth?"

"Why would I care? We capture my brethren all the time. Would it be different for you?"

"How about we decide tonight? Let's just enjoy the first real food we've had in a long time." Jessie grabs a handful of cookies and stuffs her face.

I laugh nervously. _I have to wait for my time. This will be so hard._

"Hey, let's go ask tha' Manso guy some questions. Ya coming, Jimmy?" Meowth asks.

"Nah, I want to eat some more."

"Suit yaself." He and Jessie go off to talk to the strange kid.

 _Here's my chance. I'm so sorry Jess, but I can't have you stealing Pokemon tonight._ I put some Oddish Sleep Powder in Jessie and Meowth's lemonades. When it's in a fine form, it doesn't kick in for a few minutes. I grab the two drinks and walk over to my friends. I hand it to them, while Manso keeps talking. I watch Jessie sip from her straw and lick her lips, looking away when she catches my glance.

"So ya're a Flying-type. What's it like to fly?" Meowth asks.

"It's amazing! I love the wind beneath my feathers. I look forward to it every year." Manso says proudly.

"A girl told us there was another way to become a Were-poke. What would that be?" Jessie asks, rubbing one of her eyes.

"We can't tell people until we know them better, no matter how much I like you. Uh, are you okay?" Manso watches Meowth yawn and Jessie rub her eyes more. "Oh, you must be tired. Let me take you to my father's inn-"

"Nah, we don't need to," I interrupt. Meowth yawns again and I grab Jessie's hand. She looks down at our linked hands tiredly, but follows me anyway. Meowth rides my leg as I walk.

Behind me, I hear Manso say, "Uh, see you later?"

Jessie stumbles, so I hoist her arm around my shoulder and walk her to the nearby forest. I find a soft patch of grass and hurriedly set her down. I make sure she and Meowth are out cold for the night before leaving.

* * *

A/N: I AM OKAY WITH CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISM FROM FARLA, ST ELMO'S FIRE AND MORE. I DO NOT, HOWEVER, LIKE SPAM "WARNING" ME ABOUT THEIR "BULLYING" AND THAT DOESN'T EVEN RELATE TO MY STORY AT ALL. SO PLEASE STOP! THEY ARE NOT BEING OFFENSIVE AND ARE SIMPLY TRYING TO BE HELPFUL WHILE NOT BEING OFFENDING.


	2. Night One: The Smoothies

_I didn't have much time. I couldn't let Jessie see me like this . . ._ I start to feel a tingling sensation as the full moon comes out from behind the clouds. I close my eyes to distract myself from the orange-brown, tan, and black fur growing on my body. My sense of smell and hearing intensify and I can hear Murkrow in the distance. Fangs grow in my mouth and my eyes change shape. I feel my hands and feet turn into paws, my hands with stubby pale claws. My hair becomes a slight mohawk. A fluffy tail sprouts behind me and I feel a heat burn inside my body. I trot over to a puddle on my four legs and stare at my reflection. Yeah, I'm a Growlithe.

I've always had to hide it from Jessie and my family each year, but it would be even harder this week. Why did Misty Oaks have to be a town for Were-Pokemon? I could have made up some excuse or hidden while Jessie sleeps, but now she wants to stay awake to capture the townsfolk. _What am I going to do?_

I'm suddenly distracted by a delicious scent that makes me drool a little. I follow my instincts, and my nose, which leads me to the banquet from before. I try to fight it, but I leap over to the dropped food from dinner, taking in some grass and dirt with my mouthfuls.

"What are you doing?" I hear a familiar voice from behind. I snap out of my trance and turn to see a Rufflet on the table cocking his head at me.

"Manso?" I ask.

"Yeah. Wait, are you that visitor? James was it?"

"Uh, yeah." I lower my head and avoid his eyes.

"You left in quite a hurry, I was going to offer you a room at my father's inn."

"That wouldn't matter. We don't have any money."

"So? Rooms are free during Were-Week."

"Oh. Well, there was another reason . . ." I feel a little uncomfortable as Manso leans in towards my face. "I don't want my friends to find out. So, I put some Sleep Powder in their drinks."

"Wow. Imagine how your friends will feel when they wake up."

"They wouldn't even know. We sleep in the forest all the time."

"Why do you want to keep it from your friends?"

"Well, I know we're really close, but I'm afraid of how they will react. Besides . . ."

"Mind-flaws?"

"Huh?"

"Your instincts. Every Were-Pokemon have problems with that. The only way to stop them is to find your trainer."

"My trainer?"

"Yeah, after you find your trainer, you stop having Mind-flaws."

"How do I know who's my trainer?"

"You stop doing strange Pokemon actions without meaning to? I don't really know, I haven't found mine yet. You really don't know much about Were-Pokemon, do you? How long have you been one?"

"I assume I was born with it, but I started reacting to the week around five years old. My friend, Growlie, told me to keep it from my parents, so I don't really know much about, well, _this._ "

"Was Growlie possibly a Growlithe?"

"Yes, why?"

"Did you have any human friends?"

"Not really . . ."

"Then you might not be born with it. There are a few ways of becoming a Were-Poke and one of them is having a strong bond with a Pokemon of the same species. Although, that way is very rare. I've only met one person who had it happen that way."

"Who?"

"Here, follow me!"

Manso takes off into the sky and I hurry to follow him. I chase after him through the streets of town to a back alleyway. He presses on a brick and a hole about my size opens up into the wall. I follow him through a tunnel to a room. Four Pokemon look up at us in curiosity.

"This is Ashlyn." Manso states and the Luxio flicks her tail and gives a slight nod to me.

"Jade." The Smeargle waves and smiles shyly.

"Liberty." The Sandshrew gives a thumbs-up.

"And Owen." The Umbreon frowns at me. I notices that his coloring is a bit off from a normal Umbreon.

"He's a . . . shiny?"

"So?" Owen says sternly.

"Uh." I back away a bit at his rude tone.

"Owen, the Were-Pokemon I was telling you about. He used to have no friends and hung out with his Shiny Umbreon. Now he hangs out with us every Were-Week. We call ourselves 'The Smoothies'."

"Smoothies?"

"The name's a work in progress. Everyone, this is James. He's a visitor who's also a Were-Poke!"

"I think we can see that," Ashlyn says. I would normally take that as rude, but she said it with a joking smile.

"Where are you from?" Jade asks.

"Uh, I'm from Kanto. I'm here with my friends, Jessie and Meowth, but I don't want them to know what happens to me during this time."

"Why?" Ashlyn snorts. "You don't want them to see your stupid Dog-face?"

I growl instinctively and she hisses back.

"Guys! Resist the urge," Liberty says.

"Amateurs," Owen mumbles.

"Well, to say the least, James grew up without knowing the details. He didn't even know how he became a Were-Pokemon," Manso says.

"And how was that?"

"Just like you."

Owen pauses and glances over me. He doesn't seem impressed.

"Since you're experts in this, is there anyway not to turn into a Pokemon during this week?"

Manso tries to speak, but Owen interrupts him."You think we haven't tried that yet, Flame-butt."

I snort a little, but don't react as badly as with Ashlyn. It must be because she's a feline, while Owen's a canine-Pokemon.

"Guess what? We have horderves!" Manso interrupts and gestures to a small blanket with scraps laid out on it, then waddles over to talk to Liberty.

I avoid everyone's awkward glares as I walk with my head down over to the "horderves".

As I chew on a small cookie, a tear comes to my eye. I hear a soft voice, "Hey."

I turn to see Jade shyly walking over. "Don't mind everyone, especially Owen. Ashlyn, well, she's just like that, but Owen is serious for a reason. They both don't trust new people. Hey, are you okay?" She notices the tears in my fur.

"I - I guess. It's just . . . this biscuit reminds me of some memories with my best friends. We share everything, even if it's just a tiny cookie. But this, this is one thing I can't share with them. And it's so hard. They're the people I trust most."

"And why can't you tell them?"

I look Jade over. Can I trust her? I sigh, and quietly whisper, "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone else here?" She nods and leans closer. "Jessie, Meowth, and I are part of Team Rocket." She tilts her head. "Team Rocket?" I question and she shakes her head. "It's a criminal organization that steals Pokemon." Jade's eyes widen, but she lets me continue. "The three of us aren't the best at stealing Pokemon, but Jessie wanted to steal all of the Were-Pokemon. I had to put Sleep Powder in their drinks. I feel awful. They're my best friends and aren't the best at catching Pokemon, but I wanted to also protect everyone here. Keep them from getting hurt."

"And why is that?"

"Huh?"

Jade twists her tail in her paws and avoids eye contact. "Why would you want to protect us? I mean, you seem pretty loyal to your friends."

"I don't really know. Probably because we're all different from other people in the same way. And I don't want them to react in the wrong way and give me to our Boss, or try to use my powers for evil."

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why wouldn't you want to use your power for evil?"

"I . . . never really thought of that before. I guess I never really wanted to hurt anyone, but I had nowhere else to go. And I'm glad I did. My only real friend before was my pet, Growlie. But then, I met Jessie and Meowth. Sure, we've had rough times, but we always pull through. Always."

"But I'm still confused," Jade says and I look up, "Are you sure you don't want to tell them? It seems like they would understand."

A thought comes to mind, but I change the subject. "Wait, why weren't you surprised that I work with an evil team?"

"We've gotten all sorts of Pokemon here. But that explains Owen."

"In what way?"

"When he was young, his only friend was a Shiny Umbreon named Firefly. A bad Were-Pokemon came one day. He wasn't looking for Owen, because Owen's condition wasn't permanent. However, he stole Firefly, and we haven't seen her since. That's why Owen hates new people. He doesn't trust anyone but us."

I look back to the ground again, imagining if someone took someone important from me. "You're different." I perk up as Jade continues talking. "You don't seem evil at all. You don't want to hurt anyone and you have friends you care about. The evil Were-Poke would stop at nothing to reach his goal and didn't care if his family was hurt in the process."

"Family?"

"Yes, the Were-Pokemon was . . . Owen's father. He couldn't even trust those closest to him."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

"Uh, no. I haven't seen your friends yet. Maybe tomorrow I can introduce mysel-"

"No! I don't want them to know I was out tonight . . ."

"I understand. I'll introduce myself to all of you. All you have to do is pretend to meet me for the first time. That shouldn't be too hard, right?" She smiles at me.

"I guess not . . ."

She nods, then nudges me. "Come on, let's see the others."

"Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. Thanks for being the only one who understands."

She laughs. "I don't quite understand personally, but I do know what it was like to be an outcast." She winks and leads me back to the others.

"James, you missed all the good stuff!" Manso flies over to me.

"Missed what?"

"Our activities. It's almost sunrise, so I'll have to show you tomo-"

"Almost sunrise?!"

"Yeah, we keep trac-"

"I have to go!" I rush out of the clubhouse and into the streets. I pick up my speed as I see the sun glinting through the buildings. I reach Jessie and Meowth just as the sunlight filters through the forest. I lay next to Jessie and transform back with the rays of sunshine.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to post this. I've had it written and edited, I just didn't publish it. :P Anyway, enjoy!


	3. Day Two: The Contest

I hear shuffling next to me and groan on the inside. "James, are you awake?" I roll over to see Jessie's ocean blue eyes staring at me.

"Uh huh." I rub my eyes, remembering my lack of sleep.

I watch her eyes open wide and then she sits up swiftly. "We fell asleep!" She grabs Meowth and shakes him. "Why didn't you wake us up?!"

"I fell asleep too!" Meowth groans.

" _Why?_ " Jessie whines.

"Maybe it was our full stomachs for once?" I suggest.

"Yes, that must be it . . . What are we going to do?"

"We always have tonight."

"Fine. We just need to cut back more on the food."

"But no need to worry about breakfast and lunch," Meowth says and licks his lips.

"Yeah!" Jessie brings up her fist in a confident gesture.

"Hey new people!" Sally, the young girl from before comes running up to us. "I never got your names . . ."

"Oh, I'm Jessie, and these are James and Meowth."

"Nice to meet you, or at least know your names. Mines's Sally."

"Yes, we know," I say.

She blinks a few times. "How-"

"Your mom called you yesterday."

"Oh, that wasn't my mom. She's my Aunt Linda. My mom is a Were-Poke, so she was preparing and left me with Aunt Linda. And guess what? My mom told me there's a new Were-Poke here!"

"Uh, yeah?" I ask, trying not to lose my composure. _Who could her mom be? It would have to be Ashlyn, Jade, or Liberty, because they're the only Were-Pokemon I met all night._

"Yeah, she said there was a Growlithe visiting and that I should meet it tonight. Of course, I won't be able to get their name and my mom won't tell me, but it'll still be exciting!"

"Do you mind if we come with you?" Jessie asks and I almost choke on my own spit. Not again! "We didn't get to see any Were-Pokemon last night. Are they different from normal Pokemon?"

"Not really. Some have special markings, but most you can't even tell are humans besides their behavior."

"Cool!" Meowth says. "We've never actually heard about Were-Pokemon before we came here."

"Really? That's strange. Everyone tells me that it can happen anywhere in the world. I wonder why no one mentioned it . . ."

"Hey, what's that?" I point to a group of people in costumes, glad to distract everyone from the current conversation.

"Oh, that's for the parade! Quick, we don't want to miss it!" Sally grabs onto Meowth's paw and drags him away, so we run after them. "The parade is only on the second day because there's different activities every day of Were-Week! In the parade, they pass out candy and people get to dress up!"

"I don't see a parade," I say, looking around.

"That's because it doesn't start for uh . . ."

"Fifteen minutes," says a passing girl in a blue and rainbow fluffy Meowth costume.

"Thank you, Mercy!" Sally waves as Mercy continues on her way.

"Come on!" Sally grabs my hand and drags me into a store labeled _Poke-Attire_. A sign out front says, _Were-Week special on Tuesday, FREE Costumes!_

"Woah," I say as I look around. It looks bigger on the inside. Different costumes of all shapes, sizes, and Pokemon types and regions hang on racks everywhere.

"Yeah, we have all Pokemon from Kanto to Alola and beyond. You can go straight to the counter or just look around. Just tell Andy at the front which size you are and he can get it to you!"

"Woah, cool!" Jessie starts rummaging through the clothes, picking out her favorites. "I want to try this and this and this! Uh, where's the dressing room?"

Andy, a guy with a red mustache and bowler hat, points silently to the back of the store. Meowth and I wait on the blue cushioned seats outside. Jessie comes out of the stall with a Vaporeon suit on.

"Uh, it matches your eyes," I say trying not to blush.

"Hm," Jessie thinks, "I'm gonna try on a different one." She comes out next with a Poochyena outfit.

"Eh, too gray." She says before we can answer.

The next time she steps out, I gasp. She now wears a long Vulpix-style dress. Two ears on a headband sit on top her magenta hair. Six long, glittery trails of fabric represent the many tails of Vulpix. The auburn dress is covered in orange sparkles which make Jessie's eyes stand out. She put her hair in a fancy braid.

 _She looks beautiful in everything,_ I keep thinking, but I keep my cool. "It's . . . fine."

"You really think so?" She looks up at me with those ocean-blue eyes.

"Yeah," I say simply.

"Well, if you say so. Uh, are you okay?" She looks confused.

"Yeah, why?"

"Your face is red as a Voltorb." She smirks and tries not to laugh.

"Oh, it . . . it must be ho- I mean warm in here." I try not to get too flustered, but I can see the smile on Jessie's thin, red lips and can't help but feel my cheeks warm more.

"Uh huh," she says and Meowth gives me a weird look. "Let's find you something to wear." Jessie starts to filter through more rows of costumes.

"I'm sure I can fi-"

"Ah ha!" Jessie pulls out nothing else but a Growlithe costume. Of course. "You can match me. Unless, you want a Moltres costume?" She gives me a sly grin.

"Uh, no thanks. That was embarrassing enough as it is." I smile and grab the costume to change into.

I come out in full Growlithe (costume). I look to Jessie for approval, unsure. "How does it look?"

"It's . . . fine," she mocks and winks.

"Haha, really?" I roll my eyes.

"Don't worry about it. You look cute." I'm pretty sure I blush again, because she smirks at me.

I stick my tongue out at her and Meowth sighs. "Ya're both pretty. Let's getta move on."

"Fine, come on!" Jessie grabs my hand and pulls me out of the shop behind Meowth.

"Woah," I say as we see the giant, colorful floats rolling down the street. They're decorated like Legendary and Mythical Pokemon, such as Raikou and Cresselia.

"There you are!" Sally says, dragging her mom up to us. Sally's wearing a Hoppip costume and her mom is wearing . . . a Smeargle. "This is my mom!"

"Hello, my name is Jade." She smiles and holds out her hand. I shake it and grin. _Knew it!_

"I'm James, and this is Jessie and Meowth," I say.

Jade kneels down next to Meowth. "Sally told me you can talk, is this true?"

"Ya bet it is! I've been able to talk sinc-" Meowth is cut off as Sally pulls him into a tight hug.

"He's so soft, fluffy, and cute!" Sally giggles and Meowth gasps for air.

"Sweetie, let Meowth go," Jade says calmly, used to her daughter's antics.

"Aw, okay," Sally says, disappointed. Meowth scrambles away and hugs Jessie's leg. I laugh at his ruffled, spiked hair and he gives me a death glare.

"Sorry about that. Sally likes Pokemon of all types," Jade says.

Sally whines. "I want to be a Were-Pokemon, but no one will let me know how!"

Jade replies, "That's because you need to be more responsible. When you can keep yourself from squeezing every Pokemon, then we might tell you." Sally crosses her arms and pouts.

"Look!" Jessie squeezes my arm and points. I'm directed to a float for an Arcanine.

"Arcanine aren't Legendary, are they?" I ask, confused.

"No, but their _category_ is the Legendary Pokemon," Jade informs. We continue to watch the floats drive by one by one. A horn sounds and Sally gasps.

"It's time!" She pulls her mom away and we follow, intrigued.

Pushing through the swarms of people we're led to a line. "Uh, what's this for?" I ask, trying to see around everyone.

Sally says, "Everyone gets a ticket and then they'll call out a few numbers for a surprise."

 _Hm, okay,_ I think. It takes a few minutes, but we finally arrive and receive our numbers. I look at my number. _57._

"Now we just wait," Sally says, rolling on her heels excitedly.

A tall man with a beret walks onto a stage and starts calling numbers into a microphone. "Welcome, everyone. Here are the randomly chosen participants. 23, 24, 68, 43, 59, and 57."

"Awesome!" I say and see Jessie hopping excitedly too. She must have been number fifty-nine. We run onto stage together.

"Now," the man says. "Choose a partner. They can be someone you know, or a complete stranger." Jessie and I nod towards each other, then watch a Chinchou-man and Finneon-woman shake hands while a Poochyena-girl and Electrike-boy high five with awkward grins. "Good, now we will continue with the contest."

"Contest?" Jessie and I say simultaneously.

"There will be three rounds. The first round, each couple will find a way to show off their costumes. Second round, everyone will sing a duet for a random song. Lastly, there will be dance-off. If there is a tie, two or three way, we will include a surprise challenge. Each round will be voted on by the audience using the glowsticks we passed out as I spoke. Orange will be the Fire-types, blue will be the Water-types, and yellow will be the Hoenn-dog-Pokemon."

 _Oh no_ , I think. _Singing? Dancing? Okay, James, calm down. I mean Jessie's your best friend. Stop feeling so flustered._ I smile at Jessie awkwardly and she laughs.

I frown, so she says, "We'll do fine," and squeezes my arm gently. I nod and grin.

I open my mouth to speak, but am interrupted, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen. First up is the couple of Poochyena and Electrike." The man ushers us off stage.

The couple dressed as Poochyena and Electrike whisper to themselves a bit, then start their performance. Apparently, the opponents can choose from some props, because they showed off with hula hoops and daisies. The audience applauds. Jessie and I watch as the two fish Pokemon go up next. After their performance, my hands start to shake. Jessie grabs one and squeezes it.

I look into her eyes. She winks at me and whispers in my ears. I grin and follow her on stage. She rummages in a box of props and pulls out a white fan, two fake fire stones, and ribbons resembling fire. She hides some of the props, while I stand to the left of the stage. Jessie lays on the wooden boards of the stage, holding the white fan around her legs.

"Vulpix!" She shouts and yawns, pretending to be a young Vulpix with one white tail.

"Growlithe!" I bark and run over to her. She sneakily gives me the ribbons and I wave them from my mouth, resembling a Flamethrower attack. Jessie drops the white fan and stands up.

She twirls to show off her six tails. "Vulpix!" She throws the two Fire Stones into the air and we both catch one. Jessie throws golden sparkles in the air to make her look more like a Ninetales . . . with only six tails. I try to find a way to look bigger like an Arcanine, but I freeze. I'm out of ideas.

"Uh?" I look to Jessie for help. She shrugs and lifts me onto her shoulders. "Arcanine!" I shout.

"Ninetales!" Jessie sets me down as the crowd applauds.

Off stage, I say, "Sorry Jessie, I screwed up."

"How?"

"I couldn't figure out how to look like an Arcanine."

"That's fine. I don't think anyone noticed."

"Hey," a voice says. I turn to see the Finneon-woman and Chinchou standing there. "You two look pretty cool. Nice costumes." The Chinchou-man agrees with her.

"Uh, thanks. Jessie picked mine out."

"I'm Grace, and this is Simon." Grace holds out her hand and I shake it.

"James. This is Jessie."

"I'm Liam," The quiet Electrike-boy chimes in.

The Poochyena-girl sees us and scoffs. "Why are you making friends? This is a competition! Come on, Paul!" The girl drags him away.

"Uh . . ." I say.

"Don't mind her," Simon says. "I feel bad for Liam. Gina is known to be rude to everyone and very competitive. Just warning you. Last year, she broke a rival's ankle to win. She denied it, but everyone knows what really happened."

"That's . . . deep," I say, nervous.

"Don't worry about it," Jessie says. "We've handled Pikachu. I'm sure we can stand a young girl." Jessie nudges my arm playfully.

I smile at her, still nervous. Liam and Gina are called back to stage to sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" together. Simon and Grace sing "Say Something". Finally, Jessie and I are called up. I take a deep breath and wring my shaking hands. Jessie I step up to the podium together and watch lyrics on the screen. I read the title and gulp.

Jessie starts out the first verse. "The day we met, frozen, I held my breath. Right from the start, I knew that I found a home for my, heart beats fast, colors and promises. How to be brave, how can I love when I'm afraid to fall. But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow."

I join in for the bridge. "One step closer."

My heart beats faster as Jessie's smooth voice sings the chorus alone. "I have died everyday waiting for you. Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more."

I clear my throat and sing the next verse, glancing unnoticed at Jessie. "Time stands still, beauty in all she is. I will be brave, I will not let anything take away what's standing in front of me. Every breath, every hour has come to this."

"One step closer." I smile as we harmonize.

"I have died everyday waiting for you. Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more. And all along I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me. I have loved you for a thousand years, I'll love you for a thousand more. I'll love you for a thousand more."

As we sing the bridge and chorus one last time. I can't help but look at Jessie. "A Thousand Years" was so true, yet so false. She would never love me. She looks beautiful in her Vulpix dress with her hair sticking from her braid, due to our previous act. Her silky-Milotic voice resonates in my chest. She catches my glance and I quickly turn back to the screen, hoping I don't blush.

"I'll love you for a thousand more . . ." We fade out. The audience is quiet enough to hear Kricketot. _Did we do something wrong?_ They suddenly burst into cheers and loud whistles. I chuckle nervously. Jessie's grin spreads across her face. She grabs my wrist and we raise our arms, then bow and run off stage.

"That went amazing!" I shout and Jessie and I jump up and down, grasping hands.

"You guys were beautiful," Grace says, smiling.

I'm about to thank her when someone interrupts me. "Oh please." Gina walks up, dragging Liam with her. "They were mediocre at best. It's obvious this guy was really nervous. It ruined the whole act."

I frown sadly, but Jessie pushes in front of me. "Oh really?! Well, your voice sounded like a Weezing!" Jessie coughs and gags to emphasize her point.

"You wanna go?!" Gina steps closer to Jessie.

"You don't want to find out!" Jess also steps face-to-face with Gina. She has to bend over a bit to reach her level. I pull Jessie back while Liam does the same with Gina.

"Woah, Jess," I say. "Maybe you should let steam off somewhere else."

"Maybe you're right," she says, surprising me.

"I am?"

"I don't want to get tired out before the dance performance. We're going to blow them away."

"More like scare them away," Gina scoffs. I grab Jessie shoulders to keep her from tackling the teen. Gina smirks. "Come on, Sam, let's go."

"It's Liam," he mumbles, but follows her anyway.

"She reminds me of that Cassidy," Jessie says, snarkily.

"And Liam's like Butch," I say.

"Who?" Simon asks.

"Oh, just some rivals of ours." Jessie waves them away.

They're called onto stage for the dance portion. After an interesting bout of Ballroom dancing and Salsa, Jessie and I are called up. I look at the prompt and frown, confused. The dance category was Tap Dancing. Normal enough. It was what followed that surprised me. _Two cooks in a kitchen burning a pie._ I look to Jessie for an answer.

She shrugs and whispers, "I think it's improv. We'll be great at this!" She smiles mischievously.

"Right."

We stand in the middle of the stage as a familiar song starts up. Something called "Viridian City". _Where have I heard this before?_ I shake away the thought and start tapping my feet. Jessie taps her feet and moves around the "kitchen". I pretend to mix a bowl of pie-crust mixture. I do a nice spin and hand Jessie the pretend item. She lays it on a counter and uses a rolling pin to flatten it. I chop some apples and scoop them into another bowl. Jessie lets me put in the apples, then covers it with another layer of crust. We put it into the "oven" and sit down to watch tv. Suddenly, our noses twitch and we start running around and silent-screaming. We open the oven to a cloud of smoke and I grab the fire extinguisher. We blow away the smoke as the song ends.

The crowd starts applauding right away and we bow. _Well, that was . . . interesting_. We clean up our fake "mess" as a last show and run off stage. We arrive to laughter.

"You two were hilarious and we could tell exactly what you were doing. Great job!" Grace laughs.

"Yeah," Gina says, "They were hilarious." We look at her for the finishing sentence. "Hilariously pathetic."

Jessie rolls her eyes. "James can come up with something better than that! We once called a girl pretty. Pretty pathetic." Jessie sticks her tongue out and mocks Gina.

"He really did that?" Gina glares at me.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" Jessie can't help getting in fights.

"No. He probably just did it to impress you."

Everyone jerks their heads to us. Jessie says, "Uh . . . what?"

"Nothing." Gina crosses her arms and I let out a breath of relief in my head.

A loudspeaker states. "Attention, will our competitors please come out?"

We all walk up in our couples.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the results are in! The first team _not_ going into the final round is . . . drumroll please." The soft rumble goes through the crowd, anticipation on everyone's faces. "Grace and Simon! I'm sorry, please exit the stage. You will receive small prizes from our main booth." Grace gives us a thumbs-up, then they head offstage. "That means Jessie and James, plus Gina and Liam will be competing more! That's right, there was a tie! You two will each come up with a poem that will be recited tomorrow. Good luck and sleep well tonight!"

Jessie and I celebrate by embracing and jumping up and down. I see Gina roll her eyes and mouth "childish", but am too excited to care. We meet up with Meowth and he congratulates us. "Ya two were awesome! Everyt'ing ya did had pizazz!"

"Thanks Meowth!" I say.

"What are ya gonna do far da poem?"

"I dunno. Maybe our motto?"

"That could work, but we should do something original. Plus, we don't want this town knowing who we are. We strike tonight." She whispers the last sentence and my stomach drops.

 _Not again. I don't want to sneak away. But I'll have too._ I smile back at her and we head off to the banquet. Grace and Simon sit across from us at the table. Simon raises a glass of juice. "To Jessie and James!"

"Aye!" Grace says, lifting her tea glass. I grin and raise my drink with Jessie.

We all tap and take a sip. I finish off a grilled cheese, then excuse myself to the restroom. Except that I wasn't going to the restroom. Instead, I walk halfway across town and sit down on a bench. The wind ruffles through my hair as I think. _Why must it be this way? I don't want to hide from Jessie. I have to stay out of sight from everyone until sundown. Jessie might worry. But I'll come up with an excuse by morning. Hopefully . . ._

I make sure no one is around. I take a handful of leaves from a nearby bush, then sneak into the forest. I gently set a trail of leaves to find my way back. I go far enough from town that no one will accidentally see me. I sit with my back against a tree trunk and sigh. _Constantly hiding. Constantly waiting. I can't wait for this week to end. I just want to go on with my normal life with Jessie and Meowth. But really, how normal is it? Fighting Pikachu. Blasting off. How many other people go through that daily? Zero…_ I open my eyes as I feel fur cover my body. The sun is gone, leaving only moonlight to shine on the forest.

* * *

A/N: Sorry I didn't update. Here, have a long chapter! I'm getting a little nervous, because I haven't finished the story and I have other fanfiction and comics I'm writing. Not to mention c-o-l-l-e-g-e . . . Hopefully, I'll have time to proofread and publish the next four or so chapters.

Fun Fact: The couples costumes of Finneon/Chinchou and Electrike/Poochyena are from other Rocketshipping fanfiction I never wrote about. :P


	4. Night Two: The Search

I sigh and stand on my four legs. I follow my trail back to the city. Unfortunately, I pause in the streets and growl. _Not again_ , I think as my Growlithe instincts set me off on a chase after a Litten.

"Get away from me, you stupid mutt!" The Litten hisses at me.

"You first!" I bark back.

The Litten climbs up (with difficulty) a lightpost. They growl, "Snap out of it, man! I don't even know who you are!"

"Who I . . . am?" I shake my head, then realize what happened. "Oh . . . Oh no no no, I am sooo sorry!"

"Hmph. I'm guessing you haven't met your trainer yet." It was said as a statement, as if they already knew the answer.

"Yeah, um." I look around, noticing that I'm now completely lost. "I'm looking for the . . . Smoothies?"

The Litten chuckles. "That loser group? If you say so. But promise you won't attack me when I climb down."

I nod. "I'll try my best."

They take that as a yes, slowly sliding down the pole, simply saying, "Follow me."

I go along, snorting at the sassy way they walk, moving their hips back and forth. We travel through multiple alleyways and even duck under a few fences. The Litten pauses at the special alleyway. "I assume you know how to get in." They leap away.

I bite my lip, then slowly press the brick and enter the tunnel. As I step into the hideout, I get tackled by a blue and black blur. I shut my eyes and whimper.

"Haha," a voice says, "I got you good!"

I open my eyes and sigh, seeing Ashlynn standing triumphantly over me. "Get off of me, Litter Paws!" I growl.

She coughs, disgusted, and jumps off. "Sure, you must have halitosis."

Someone clears their throat and they both see Owen standing next to Jade. Jade speaks, "We were about to head out. Today I was going to show you to Sally, remember?"

"Oh, uh uh, right! But, if my friends are there, I can't talk."

"Why not?" Manso flies over.

"Well, Meowth can speak English and would recognize my voice."

"Alright, makes sense."

"Wait," Liberty says, "Meowth can talk?"

"Oh yeah! I've seen, well, _heard_ it with my own ears!"

"So have I," Jade says.

Owen grunts, while Ashlynn and Liberty gasp in surprise.

"Well, we should probably get going, James. Anyone else coming?"

Owen looks away and grunts and Manso nods. Ashlynn says, "I'd love to see this talking Meowth!"

"I'm going to visit my family tonight, but maybe tomorrow night." Liberty says.

"Alright," Jade says, "let's head out." A few minutes later, we arrive at Jade's front yard. There is a plastic Aromatisse statue by a small fountain in the yard. The house is yellow with blue window sills and dark chestnut roof shingles. Jade knocks on the olive green door. Sally happily runs out and hugs her mom. She then spots me.

I was prepared for the tight squeeze, but it still surprises me. A whine slips out of my mouth as my ribs are crushed and my fur is ruffled. Jade grabs her and I take deep gasping breaths.

As I do so, I look around, but don't see my friends anywhere. Jade asks Sally about it by painting on the sidewalk. _Where are the others?_

"Oh," Sally says, "The Meowth and woman are looking for the man."

 _They . . . are?_ I think. I exchange a glance with Manso and he takes to the skies to look for them.

Sally grabs me in a hug again, petting my head fur. _I have to get away before they get back._ Jade gives me an apologetic look, then pulls Sally away once more.

"But he's so soft!" She complains. "Wait, it is a he, right?" Jade nods as I try to sneak away.

"Where do you think you're going?" A paw steps on my tail. It's Ashlynn. "You were going to show me the talking Meowth."

"Well, they're not here. And I'm still not sure if I'm ready."

"Ah okay, but let's go back to the hideout. We had a special game to show you!"

"Al-alright." I follow her as Jade says goodbye to her daughter.

Back at the hideout, Ashlynn opens up a compartment in a wall. There are some common board games, like Life, Munnapoly, Stunrisk, ArticUno, and Bounsweets to Bounsweets. But, she pulls out a board game I've never heard of, The Journey. Each player was handed six Pokemon. I got Chingling, Malamar, Bellsprout, Mr. Mime, Cacturne, and Foongus. The game was basically about battling and evolving. I failed pretty badly by the time Manso came in.

"Where were you guys? Your friends were looking for you. I accidentally let it slip that you are a Were-Pokemon."

I could feel the blood leave my face, and I feel like fainting. "Wh-what . . ?"

"Woah woah, calm down buddy. I was just joking! They actually didn't even want to meet anyone before they found you."

"Really?" _That's a first_ , I think. _Usually, they go right into stealing, if it was the plan._ "By the way, how did you keep track of time again?"

"Oh, I have a watch." He lifts his feathery right leg to show me.

"Huh. Don't know why I didn't notice before." I check the time. "Eek! I have to go!" I rush out of the tunnel and run into the forest. I can smell the scent of roses and salt nearby, so I quickly lay down. Just as the sun peeks through the trees and I transform, Jessie and Meowth come around.

* * *

A/N: I didn't realize how short this chapter was. I should've edited it sooner . . . Anyway, the board game is actually a game I created with a printed picture on cardboard and printed cards. It's supposed to be categories of animals you can transform into, but I Pokemon-ized it for the story. Can you figure out the other board game puns? (Besides Life, I couldn't think of a good one for that . . .) Enjoy until next time!


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